The final steam freight working on BR – another challenger??

I wasn't keeping detailed notes, but if any of you noticed a 12 year old with glasses hanging around Carnforth Station and MPD for the last 2 weekends of steam, that was me. I am pleased to see that 75019 was one of the last, I photographed her on the southbound platform with a freight, not realising it was one of the last ever.

I have the photo somehwere, if I find it I will scan and post.

Very near the end I was amazed to see an oil tanker derailment from my school bus one morning just ouside Morecambe Promenade station, with an 8F and a crane in attendance, though I can't find any mention of this incident, it must have been recorded somewhere.

 

For all the doubters out there here is photographic evidence of 850's herculean task in pushing a 1000ton cement train onto the lower section of the 'Long Drag.'

I have checked my notes and 850 worked the Cumbrian Mountain Express from Carnforth - Skipton (46229 worked the train north to Carlisle). The cement train failed between Long Preston and Settle Jct blocking both Morecambe and Carlisle lines and was pushed clear of the junction by a tender-first 850 towing its support coach (LNW saloon). The date 1/11/80.

Not sure if this feat ever has been reported before?

Apologies for the appalling photo (possibly the worst ever uploaded on Nat Pres!) but it was almost dark and taken on 1/4sec @ f2.8 on 25ASA!

David

 

Don't worry, all of mine looked like that!

But whatever, that is a piece of history!

 

Last summer my Dad sent me a series of photo's by a friend of his all taken around Morecambe and Carnforth in the last weeks of steam.

One of them is 44806 at the scene of an oil tanker derailment pretty much underneath West End Road Bridge. My dad also mentions 44874 had brought the brakedown crane from Carnforth - he didnt include the photo of 44874 for the following reason:

'the loco looks so dreadful that I havn't kept the picture -front number plate missing
and the numbers very crudely scrawled in its place + a big 1M30 reporting number painted on as well
which I don't think was for the crane train as Mike had seen at Carnforth the previous week
displaying the same code but with it's numberplate still fitted'

The date was 31st July 1968 - so in the last fortnight of BR steam.

 

Dave, what on earth possessed you to use Kodachrome 25 in NOVEMBER ??!! Must have been extremely sunny earlier that day!!

Nevertheless, full marks for attempting what you did – that’s a historic shot you've got there! And it certainly was not the worst ever uploaded on Nat Pres – not by a long chalk!

Despite the extremely slow speed and no matter how much many may have derated K25 over the years, it was, without a shadow of a doubt, the BEST slide film ever produced and, although one might have enquired why did you not have the faster K200 in the camera that day, it has to be borne in mind that that latter equally fine product actually was not to appear for another 4 or 5 years.

Sadly, K64, in my view the poorest of the three (and that is not a particular criticism - except that I could never get on with it) is now the only one currently to survive the digital revolution. But even Jessops (the only remaining film stockist in my home town) now hide stocks almost out of view and the very end for film seems to be almost in sight – it certainly is as far as that outfit is concerned!

Having endured, ever since K25's demise, the various Fuji and even Agfa alternate offerings (I failed to have the same foresight as some I could mention – i.e. a near neighbour of yours, who shall remain nameless, but you know who I am talking about - in filling his fridge with as many K25 cassettes as he could lay his hands on!), I have never managed to obtain as true-to-life, accurate and anywhere near as long-lasting images as K25 and its predecessors, Kodachrome 1 and Kodachrome II, have proved themselves to have supplied over the course of time. It is a fact that most of the best surviving colour slide images from the 1960s have been taken with Kodak film, whereas those who used Agfa 30+ years ago are now learning the hard way that purple engines don't look quite right on the screen!

Such an old friend as this, of many years standing, having irreperably departed, some weeks ago I finally gave up altogether, taking my last colour slide ever and I reluctantly set out to join the Photoshop fraternity. A grand for a camera body, one and a half grand for a couple of lenses and, apart from doing prints, I still cannot share my fots with anyone else at, for example, our local club meetings….. because I still need to find around another 800 quid for a decent projector and another 200 on top of that when the lamp expires! (Anyone interested in an almost mint Pentax 67 with a couple of lenses along with several very battered Nikon 35mms?)

Nevertheless, if another photo opportunity now presents itself, like 850 did for you in those almost unseeable conditions, all I would need to do is tweak the ASA rating up from 100 to 1600. Yes, life has been made far more easy for us veteran linesiders, but surely it is nowhere near as enjoyable today!

 

Aww stop yer whinging and get yer shots onto a slide show DVD \/

I'll bring R2D2 to The Buffet Bar! :smt023

Mine's a Tim taylors as usual!!!

Come on Mr R - we are only over the hill - and that in geographical terms if you please - Aye thank ewe!

 

I was going to ask you to do that anyway. =D> A pal of mine has just sent me a copy of a very limited edition 30-minute DVD of recent 'Cotton Mills' happenings. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, so I don't think it will involve the same reaction as Dennis's slides .... i.e. time to get another round in, lads, and I won't rush back! =P~

 

@ Graham, that'll be the same incident, it was West End Rd bridge I saw it from.

My memory wasn't playing tricks then, although I obviously mistook the Black 5 for an 8F, I remember it was filthy.

 

It's well known in photography circles that kodachrome 25 was the best ever film. The reason being that the process involves introducing the dyes after the development of the image. Thereby enabling much better and durable dyes to be used. It won't be until 50+ Mpixel cameras are available that electronic imaging will be able to equal K25. Meantime I am down to my last 10 rolls, though it is surprising how many are still around in domestic freezers. Kodak really knew how to commit commercial suicide when they decided to discontinue their best products, which had no equal.

 

The derailment at Morecambe on July 31 1968 was pictured in RM later that year, taken from the bridge. Perhaps the same photographer? That must qualify as the final steam hauled breakdown train.

I recall an article on either the 15th in Steam World or, 20th anniversary in Steam Railway, about Carnforth, showing 44735 heading south on Aug 3, on a freight. I think the pic and article was by Ron Cover of Eastleigh. he may know what 44735 did later that day.

If 75019 went on shed about 5.40pm, then that must have been well after 48348. What was it doing all that time from 4.30 to 5.30, shunting and marshalling the freight at Carnforth?

The first post 68 steam freight, was on May 18 1980. 45000, as 5000, piloted a 25 on a freight up the bank from Northwich, as part of an Open Day at the shed, which also featured 80079, 35028 and, 4498. I have a slide of the freight passing the station. My scanner can't do slides, so I can't get it online. Plenty of others photographed it as well.

 

Memories
To Mrdavo and 50002
Just found this forum.
This thread has just reminded me of the last week of steam on BR My best friend and I had a rover ticket for the week and traveled all over chasing the smell of steam Mrdavo may remember the 2, 14 year old boys that where around carnforth a lot of the time. We were also on the 20.50 from Preston believing it would be the last, the train was packed and I seem to remember (normal ) passengers wondering what was going on, I do not think they all got on. Super memories!

 

An old thread I know but I have just come across a photograph of Standard 4 no. 75014 plodding through Clapham (North Yorks) tender first with a rake of empty ballast hoppers en route from Carnforth-Hellifield taken circa 1999-2001. I recall at the time it was a fairly low key working to commemorate the withdrawal of the last vacuum braked dogfish on Railtrack. I couldn't make it due to work commitments (wish I had) and my mum took the phot.

Peter